NJ Towns Buck Marijuana Legalization

As marijuana legalization inches forward in New Jersey, a coalition of mayors, law enforcement, and town councils are working to ensure that dispensaries never open up shop in their towns.

The municipalities banning marijuana are geographically and demographically diverse with the most concentrated areas of opposition in Bergen County and the Jersey Shore. So far, more than 45 towns have pre-emptively banned marijuana dispensaries, and the list continues to grow.

Supporting this coalition is Responsible Approaches to Marijuana Policy (NJ RAMP), the state branch of the most powerful anti-marijuana lobbying group in the country. “If you legalize recreational marijuana, you will see homelessness go up, you will see people losing their jobs, you will see more ‘drugged driving,’ you will see more accidents, and more deaths,” said Stephen Reid, executive director of NJ RAMP.